Barcelona’s 2021 appears to be heading the same way as their 2020.
Although the first-team have managed to get into the Spanish Super Cup final and are unbeaten since early December, off the pitch the club have been plunged into chaos.
After previous president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, resigned his position before he was pushed thanks to a successful vote of no confidence, it was expected that the elections to appoint a new president would take place on January 24.
However, according to La Vanguardia and cited by Football Espana, the club’s interim board have taken the decision to postpone the elections as huge numbers of members will be unable to vote because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Given that the elections were originally due in July, it’s entirely likely that if a compromise can’t be found in the interim – for example posting or electronic voting – that elections will go ahead around the time of the originally intended date.
That won’t give the likes of Joan Laporta or Victor Font much time to negotiate with Lionel Messi, whose contract will have finished by then, nor for any new players, whose hiring will be incumbent on whichever president is elected.